Northern Ontario: where homegrown solutions and innovation are the norm, not the exception

People from northern Ontario are a resilient bunch. Big on homegrown solutions, northerners don’t often shy away from a challenge. An unforgiving climate, limited infrastructure and hard to access resources have led to a culture of innovation that has propelled northern Ontario’s mining industry for many decades, giving rise to research and development (R&D) which is now in demand all over the world. The innovation coming out of northern Ontario is not only increasing productivity and driving down costs, but also creating safer working conditions in historically hazardous environments.

A major strength of northern Ontario’s mining supply and services sector is the depth and breadth of innovation across the industry value chain. A unique mix of traditional skills, cutting-edge R&D and environmental sensibilities, these efforts have underpinned much of the sector’s success.

R&D is intertwined with northern Ontario’s culture of collaboration between government, academia and industry. Businesses and stakeholders in the region have longstanding relationships and a history of working together to create solutions through the development of innovative products and services resulting in a globally competitive industry.

Over the years, customer needs for quality and customization have grown increasingly demanding. Equipment and machines are being manufactured differently to comply with industry requirements to be more fuel efficient and reduce the carbon footprint, while positively impacting productivity. Companies must strive to keep up with new demands and trends or be left behind. Mining supply and services companies also face increased competition from within, and outside of the sector and must focus on innovative and creative solutions to provide greater value and ensure continued success and future growth.

Committed to responding with agility and creativity to find the right solutions for unique projects, northern Ontario boasts a strong offering and is home to a large number of thriving suppliers for OEMs, as well as many SMEs offering more niche products. Businesses and jurisdictions from around the globe look to the region to meet the constant need to upgrade processes and adopt innovative approaches, as well as fulfill requirements for the staff to undergo specialized training to effectively operate in the continually evolving landscape. The ability to innovate is imperative for sustainable growth and long-term success.

As Ontario’s leading mining supply and services industry association, MineConnect proudly represents many of the companies that are furthering the world’s mines into the future through innovation, creativity, and ingenuity. As a prominent advocate for the expansion of northern Ontario’s innovation capacity, MineConnect encourages technology adoption to capitalize on productivity and performance opportunities across the mining supply and services sector.

Technological advancements, such as automation, electrification, security and artificial intelligence (AI), all serve as engines for innovation; they have the potential to trigger significant economic growth and influence every aspect of the mining life cycle. Technology is also driving innovation within the areas of safety and the environment – both key areas of focus for the mining industry.

A prime example is the continued urgency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and growing industry interest in adopting new approaches to underground and surface mining, such as battery-electric technologies and automation. The value proposition to adopt zero-emission vehicles in underground mining towards eliminating exposure of workers to diesel particulate matter and reduce ventilation costs present a strong business case. As a result, the rate of technological development and uptake to meet this demand is faster now than at any other point in the sector’s history, and the innovations that are starting to come through are quite remarkable.

A leader in mine-related R&D, northern Ontario boasts many mining supply and services companies that are leading the charge in both automation and BEV applications. Mines need look no further than MineConnect’s cluster of mining supply and services companies to find a supplier to meet the unique needs of any project. CMJ

Marla Tremblay is the executive director of MineConnect (www.mineconnect.com).